If it's opulence you want (and your bank account can accommodate), Rolls-Royce has the car for you. As the British luxury marque retires the seventh-generation Phantom, the Phantom VIII takes over as the company's flagship sedan, and it's just made its debut here.

Larger, more powerful, and more luxurious than its predecessor, the Phantom VIII made its global reveal a year ago. In the Philippines, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Manila will be offering the large, ultra-luxury sedan in two guises; one in standard wheelbase and a grander long-wheelbase variant.

From the outside, the Phantom VIII is a largely evolutionary redesign over the Phantom VII. It has the classic upright 'waterfall' grill, which is then complemented by slim, LED-powered headlights on each side. Of course, the Spirit of Ecstacy hood ornament makes another appearance, and it hides away when the engine is shut off.

The slab-sided flanks are an ode to Rolls-Royce cars of the past although the roofline appears to be more rakish (for Rolls-Royce sedan standards) than its predecessors. It does stick to tradition by retaining the unique coach doors, which come with a pop-out umbrella. Over at the back, classic square tail lights are on each corner, and the 'bustle-back' treatment is more prominent in this generation.

Inside, the flat dashboard fascia hides most of the technologies packed in the Phantom VIII. For instance, the wood capping near the top of the dash unfurls to reveal the infotainment system. Bringing the Phantom VIII to the modern age is a digital instrument cluster. As for the rear, the seats wrap around the occupants and it has power adjust functions to allow those at the back to recline and relax on the go. Massage functions are also available. From there, the infotainment system can also be controlled.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Manila says there is a wide variety of leather, wood, and aluminum options that can be specified to the cars. This means that there are millions of possibilities to mix and match certain pieces of trim with other hides of leather or, in the case of carpets, wools.

Powering the Phantom VIII is the tried and tested 6.75-liter V12 engine. This time around however, it comes with a pair of turbochargers. The result is a potent 570 PS and a stump-pulling figure of 900 Nm of torque.